Facsimile Telecommunications System and Method

ABSTRACT

A system and method for facilitating facsimile transmissions coupled to the switched telephone network in a manner supporting multiple communication channels, each of which allowing communication sessions with originating fax machines. The store and forward facilities include a computer for controlling operations and mass data storage equipment. The store and forward facility receives a facsimile message from an originating fax machine. The store and forward facility then delivers the facsimile message to a mailbox associated with the intended receiving facsimile machine. Subscriber mailboxes may be provided as part of the mass storage, which can then be accessed by the subscriber.

This is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 07/248,798 onSep. 22, 1988, in the name of Richard J. Gordon and James R. Kennedy andassigned to F-Mail Associates, L.P.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The field of this invention is telecommunications systems used inconnection with facsimile transmissions. More specifically, thisinvention relates to a system and method for enhancing ease of facsimiletransmissions and providing features relative to facsimile transmissionsnot heretofore available.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The electronic transmission of documents by way of facsimile (fax)systems employing public and private switched telephone networks hasbecome both commonplace and, often, an essential component in manybusiness activities. In such a setting, it is very common for the faxterminals (fax machines) to be kept quite busy during a major fractionof the business day. Moreover, where sender and recipient are indifferent time zones, the “business day” can approach 24 hours,particularly in international activities. It is common for fax users to“broadcast” documents to a number of different recipients, that is, sendthe same message to several different fax machines. It is also true thatthe contents of some faxed documents are of such a sensitive nature thatthe originator or addressee would like to have a measure of control overwho might see those documents as they move from the receiving machine tothe hands of the actual addressee.

These circumstances present a number of practical problems for a faxuser. In order to make a successful fax transmission it is necessarythat the receiving machine be available at the time that thetransmitting machine attempts to contact it. If the receiving machine isalready in use handling another message, the transmitter will receive a“busy” signal. The originator's only recourse is to continue initiatingtelephone calls until contact can be established. This is a “hit ormiss” process at best and can be very wasteful of the originatingoperator's time.

Some, rather expensive, fax machines have digital memories which willallow them to memorize the document to be transmitted and to beprogrammed to make multiple redials in an effort to establish contact inan automatic way. However, this is limited to only one or two documentsand, more importantly, it ties up the transmitting machine until theeffort is successful or abandoned. This is hardly an acceptable solutionif that machine has other documents to send or receive.

There are other conditions which can result in a failure to transmiteven though a telephone connection has been established. Perhaps themost common of these is the absence of paper in the receiving machine.In such situations, repeated attempts to “redial” will lead to repeatedtoll charges with each attempt, with no actual success until thereceiving machine is serviced (which may be some time if the machine isoperating unattended because it is nighttime half-way around the world).

Busy machines which are destined to receive messages are affected by theconverse problem. Since they and the prospective transmitting machinesmust engage in (perhaps, automated) “telephone tag”, they are used veryinefficiently. When a transmitting machine gets a busy signal, even ifit automatically redials, it can only guess at when the receivingmachine will be available. Thus, the receiving machine will likelyremain idle for some fraction of the time until such an attempt is made.

The practice of broadcasting documents to a number of addresseesobviously compounds these problems and adds still others of its own.Even if one does not encounter busy signals or impaired machines,convenient broadcasting demands an expensive memory-type fax machine onthe transmitting end. Such machines read in the document once and thenproceed to automatically dial the various recipient machines. Thisprocess ties up the sending machine and its telephone line and makesthem unavailable for incoming calls. This, of course, exacerbates thebusy signal problem for those units trying to contact the sendingmachine.

The security of sensitive documents is still another problem. Oncecontact is established between two fax machines, the transmission of thedocument proceeds automatically, irrespective of who may be standing bythe receiving machine at the time. In a busy office, the contents ofthese documents are accessible to the fax operator and anyone else whohappens to be in the vicinity.

It is also common for individuals to wish to deliver fax documents to arecipient who is not currently available through a known machine (e.g. aperson on a business trip). This is a very inconvenient situation inthat it requires that the paper documents be held until the travelerphones in from a remote machine. It further requires that there besomeone available at that time who has knowledge of and access to thedocuments intended for the recipient.

Another concern is related to so-called paperless fax terminals. Inrecent years, paperless fax techniques allow a computer or amicro-processor equipped with specific software and modem to directlytransmit and receive facsimile messages. However, it is also very commonthat the recipient is not in his or her office (the paperless faxterminal may also be located at home) at the time when fax message iscoming. For example, the recipient is out to lunch or otherwise absentfrom his or her office or home. This requires the sender to retry thecommunication message delivery again and again if there is no other faxmachine available in the office.

Still another concern is adequate accounting control over the billing ofcalls. Typically, many businesses wish to be able to track the costs ofboth fax machine use and the associated telephone charges. Whiletelephone charges can be ascertained from telephone company records, inthe present environment these must be related to records of the numberof pages transmitted per call and so forth, separately maintained by thefax machine or its attendants.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The objects of this invention are to address these many shortcomings ofpresent fax systems and to provide an integrated system for theirsolution. Furthermore, the intention is to achieve this in a way whichis fundamentally compatible with existing fax terminal machines. Thebasic approach is to provide special computer-based fax Store AndForward Facilities (SAFF's) as an integral part of a switched telephonenetwork system. All fax transmissions entered into the network arerouted to such a facility, typically geographically near the originatingmachine, where they are temporarily stored or “spooled” by the computerin a mass storage buffer, such as a magnetic disk.

The fax message from the originating machine is intended for adestination machine, which may or may not be in a position toimmediately answer the call. If the destination machine is within theservice region of that SAFF, the system then proceeds to attempt to callthe destination fax-machine. If the destination machine is within theservice area of a different SAFF, the system forwards the fax documentdata to that facility by long-distance lines, in which case this secondfacility attempts to call the destination machine. In either case, ifcontact is established and the message is delivered immediately, thesystem directs a printed report back to the originating fax machineconfirming delivery to the destination machine, and other pertinentdata.

If, on the other hand, the delivery cannot be completed immediately dueto a busy signal, a machine fault (eg, receiving machine out of paper)or any other reason, the spooled document is saved and the system makesperiodic attempts to contact the destination machine and complete thetransmission.

In the meantime, the system sends a printed report back to theoriginating machine acknowledging that the message has been entered intothe system, indicating the reason the delivery is being delayed, statingthe protocol the system will take to deliver the message, and providinga reference number or “Message Code” which identifies the message andmay be used at a later time to trace the status of the document.

Placing the delivering spooling system geographically near thedestination machine has the advantage of more economical use of anylong-distance lines that may be involved. These lines are used only tomove the message from the originator to the spooling system in thevicinity of the destination, which is virtually certain to be successfulon the first try. Subsequent attempts to contact the destination machinecan be handled more or less locally and need not tie up the bulk of thelong-distance facilities.

If the delayed delivery is ultimately successful, the system will send aprinted delivery report to the originating machine. On the other hand,if the delivery attempt protocol has gone through its whole cyclewithout success, a report will be sent to the originator indicating thatthe delivery procedure has failed and requesting instructions as to howto proceed (eg. try again, redirect the message to an alternate number,or delete the message).

An important feature of the system is that it recognizes all of thedocuments that are spooled in the system at a given time for a givendestination machine. These are identified and linked together to form amessage queue for that machine. In this way, once contact isestablished, all of the waiting messages can be “dumped” to that machinein a continuous batch. Furthermore, if new messages arrive while thatdump is occurring, they are simply appended to the end of the activequeue and are transmitted when their turn comes. This has the advantageof greatly enhancing the utilization efficiency of a busy destinationmachine.

Since all outgoing fax documents are temporarily stored at the facilitynear the originating machine, it is also practical to provide forautomatic broadcasting of documents to multiple destinations. Lists of“broadcast groups” of phone numbers can be programmed into the facilityby users, or a list of destination phone numbers entered “by hand” atthe time of a call. The SAFF can then broadcast the message to everymachine of the selected list. This is a great advantage to broadcastusers in that they need only tie up their machines for one outgoingtransmission, the one to the SAFF. The SAFF copies the message to all ofthe destination machines as outlined above. In the meantime, theoriginating machine is available for receiving or transmitting otherdocuments.

Similarly, since the documents are stored near the originator, thesystem can permit messages which have already been sent to be copied toother destinations after the fact, without the necessity of resendingthe message to the SAFF. Likewise, since the messages are also spooledin a facility near the destination, the system also provides therecipient with the option of forwarding or redirecting documents tostill other destinations, as if the recipient were the originator. Thesystem can also accept and store messages destined for a fictitiousdestination or “Mail Box”. Thus, individuals who are traveling can, attheir convenience, dial into the system and pick up any waitingdocuments.

Other services are provided that are particularly useful to individualswho are not at the “home” machines. For example, so-called “paperless”fax terminals, small portable computers equipped with modems andsoftware programs which enable them to emulate fax terminals, are beingemployed at an increasing rate. The Mail Box system recognizes a varietyof these devices and provides interactive features to facilitate theiruse. In this case, the SAFF can either periodically retry to communicatewith the intended paperless fax terminal or transmit the fax message toanother paperless fax terminal or fax machine as instructed by therecipient or sender. In addition, the system recognizes a small, highlyportable Mail Box Reader that consists of an adapter that can beconnected between the user's telephone and a normal television set (forexample, in a hotel room), allowing the user to display fax messagesreceived from the Mail Box on the TV screen.

The system is also programmed to provide a fax-to-voice messageconversion service which can convert an inbound fax message into a voicemail message and send the message to the intended recipient's voice mailbox, such as an answer machine.

Another useful feature is the ability of a fax recipient to sendautomated-voice replies to fax messages back to the originators(typically directed to a voice mail box). This permits the recipient toselect a, generally terse, response from a menu of possible replies.These replies may be selected from a menu of standardized responsesprovided by the system or from a menu of customized responses, in theuser's own voice, that is maintained by the system.

Closely akin to these features is the ability to have the originator ofa transmission include the requirement that the recipient provide asecurity code, such as a PIN number, in order to release the documentfrom the spool to the destination machine. In this case, the SAFF sendsa written report to the destination machine advising that a securemessage is waiting for a particular recipient and the fax identificationof the originating machine. The recipient must then call in to the SAFFand key in the security code to initiate the delivery of the document.Since the document is spooled, the delivery easily may be delayed untilthe recipient is available to supply the code.

Finally, since the documents and their delivery are both under thecontrol of the telephone system, as a special service the telephone callaccounting system can provide both time and charges for the telephoneservices rendered and fax information, such as pages transmitted, sortedaccording to the originator's clients. This can greatly facilitate thefax user who wishes to do cost accounting or to bill clients for costsincurred.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparentfrom the following Detailed Description of the preferred embodimentsthereof and from the attached Drawings of which:

FIG. 1 illustrates the inter-relationships of the principal elements ofa connection between two SAFFs.

FIG. 2 shows a more detailed view of the various systems within a singleSAFF, such as those shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 illustrates the major components of the Originate Function in theSAFFs shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

FIG. 4 illustrates the major components of the Answer Function in theSAFFs shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

FIGS. 5 a and b show a flow chart describing the general processingsteps required to handle a fax or voice message incoming to theOriginate Function of a SAFF, as described particularly in FIGS. 2 and3.

FIGS. 6 a and b show a flow chart describing the general processingsteps required to handle the delivery of a fax message incoming to theAnswer Function of a SAFF, as described particularly in FIGS. 2 and 4.

FIG. 7 shows a flow chart of the general processing steps required tohandle a service request in the General Service unit of a SAFF, asdescribed particularly in FIG. 2.

FIG. 8 shows a block diagram of an embodiment of the paperless facsimileterminal.

FIG. 9 shows a block diagram of another embodiment of the paperlessfacsimile terminal which can utilize an ordinary television set fordisplay of facsimile messages.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Introduction

The preferred embodiment of this invention is a multi-function,interactive facsimile transmission system which is integrated into aswitched telephone distribution network, where “network” is takenbroadly to mean the entire system required to complete a communicationfrom an originator to an answerer. This embodiment provides acomprehensive computerized fax message management system based onautomated fax Store And Forward Facilities (SAFF) embedded in thenetwork. This system requires no modifications to existing facsimilemachines, but rather, relies on the network to provide the enhancedservices.

The system contains several components which actually transmit the faxmessages and related information, provide written fax reports to usersabout the status of messages within the system, allow user interventionin the sequence of automatic actions of the system, provide anaccounting of services rendered for both the customer and the telephonecompany, and control and supervise all of these activities.

In the preferred embodiment, it is presumed that the SAFF's are placedat the interface between the local telephone delivery system and thelong-distance delivery system, as indicated in FIGS. 1 and 2. In thissetting, the SAFF system can be controlled and its services offered byeither one. However, it is obvious that useful systems can beconstructed where the SAFF exists as close to the user as a component ofhis or her own in-house telephone system (such as a PBX or Centrex) oras remotely as a single, independent, stand-alone SAFF serving a widegeographical area. It is also obvious that commercially viable systemscan be constructed which provide subsets of the features of thepreferred embodiment. The choice of site/control setting and servicefeatures might be driven by any number of economic, market, or legalconsiderations, which would militate toward offering the system at analternate location in the network, or in a “stripped down” form.

To more clearly understand the present invention, it is useful toconsider the manner in which a fax transmission occurs in thetraditional setting. Here the communication between two machines isinitiated when the destination machine answers a telephone-call directlyfrom the originating machine. Typically, there is an exchange of digitaldata identifying the sending and receiving machines to each other andestablishing the fax mode or format to be used. If this exchange issatisfactory, then the actual image transmission takes place. Otherwise,the call is terminated, usually with some form of written diagnostic tothe respective users.

Message Interception

In the present invention, all fax transmissions initiated by asubscriber to the fax management system are first intercepted by an“originator” SAFF; that is, the SAFF which directly services theoriginating fax machine. FIG. 1 shows two exemplary SAFFs 8 and 18, withinterconnections between the SAFFs and with subscriber fax machinesbeing diagrammatically indicated. Thus in FIG. 1, the SAFF 8 includes anoriginate function 9 coupled over telephone lines 4 to originating faxmachines 1. Likewise, the SAFF 18 includes an originate function 22coupled over telephone lines 26 to originating fax machines 30. Each ofthe SAFFs 8 and 18 also includes respective answer function blocks 12and 19 respectively connected over telephone lines 6, 24 to fax machines3, 28. Each of the SAFFs 8, 18 also includes service interfaces 10, 21coupled via telephone lines 5, 25 to telephones 2, 29. The function andpurpose of the service interfaces is more fully explained hereafter, andthey are under control of status and control blocks 11 and 21.

Access to the system of FIG. 1 can be obtained much the same as accessto a specific long-distance company's network. That is, subscribers suchas 1 in FIG. 1 can dial a unique access code at the time a call isinitiated, or a telephone line dedicated to a fax terminal may bepermanently routed to the SAFF system, in this case the SAFF 8 ofFIG. 1. Either way, one accesses SAFF Directed Lines 4 and the SAFF 8itself in the process of dialing the destination fax machine.

The SAFF 8 then answers the phone in place of the destination machine,such as one of 28 shown in FIG. 1 as serviced by SAFF 18. For themoment, this SAFF 8 near the originator becomes the proxy for thedestination machine 28. While noting the actual destination telephonenumber, the SAFF 8 engages the originating machine in the same digitaldialogue that would have occurred if a direct connection to thedestination machine had actually been made. Thus, it echoes back thedestination telephone number, to identify the intended destinationmachine, and agrees to accept the fax format requested by theoriginating machine.

This causes the originating machine 1 to respond by transmitting the faxdocument image data. The originating machine's identification, thedestination machine's telephone number, the fax format, and the documentimage data are all stored on a mass storage device 67 (in FIG. 3), suchas a computer magnetic disk unit. Furthermore, a unique alphamericMessage Code is assigned to the block of data to identify it while it isresident in the SAFF system. This Message Code is related to the filename for the stored data.

Delivery

At this point, the SAFF 8 initiates two actions. The first is togenerate an “Acceptance Record” of the transaction to this point. Thisrecord, in one form or another, will be returned to the originator aswill be described below. The second step is to begin to deliver the faxmessage to the destination machine 28.

The details of the delivery process depend to some degree on thegeographic location of the destination within the network. A single SAFFcan, in principle, service a broad geographical area. However, in thepreferred embodiment, communications beyond a certain limiting distanceinvolve at least two SAFFs, one 8 near the originator 1 and the other, a“destination SAFF”, 18 near the recipient 28 of the document. The choiceof one, two, or more SAFFs is determined by network economics, or otherconsiderations, and is not essential to the invention.

For the sake of this discussion, we will define a “local” message toimply that the originating and the destination machines are serviced bythe same SAFF. (Although, this does not preclude the possibility thatthe two machines are some considerable distance apart and connected by atoll call.) On the other hand, we will define a “long-distance” messageto mean that the originating and destination fax machines are servicedby different SAFFs and, thus, one SAFF must exchange data with theother, perhaps through intermediaries. Similarly, the term “near” usedin connection with a SAFF refers to being within the service area ofthat SAFF.

Each SAFF 8, 18 has two clearly defined roles: the “Originate Function”9, 22 for handling data with an originating machine, and the “AnswerFunction” 19, 12 for handling data with a destination machine. Thedetails of these two subsystems are illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4respectively. In the local message mode, the connection between theOriginate Function, such as 9, and the Answer Function, such as 12, islinked within the single SAFF 8 by way of a Local Call Loop-backconnection 13, between the two Functions. In the long-distance mode, theOriginate Function 9 of SAFF 8, near the originator, is linked to theAnswer Function 19 of another SAFF 18, near the destination, bylong-distance lines, such as 14, or 16 for SAFF 18. Thus, processing along-distance message involves the same basic steps as a local message,except that the activity is shared interactively between at least twodifferent SAFFs.

Originate Function

With this understanding of SAFF functions, the following detaileddiscussion will illustrate the operation of the system in thelong-distance case, since it is the more complex, and therefore providesa more comprehensive example. FIGS. 1, 2, 3, and 4 all show elements ofthe SAFF system in varying degrees of detail and all will be referred toin the following. It will be noted that some critical elements are shownin more than one of the Figures.

As an example, it is assumed that one of the subscribers 1 attached toSAFF 8 wishes to send a fax message to one of the subscribers 28attached to SAFF 18. The subscriber 1 places the call to the destinationmachine 28 which is routed over SAFF Directed Lines 4 to the OriginateFunction 9 of SAFF 8. These signals originate within the SAFF system andthey are picked up by the On-net Interface 64 which is part of theOriginate Function, as shown in FIG. 3. This Interface signals theOriginate Host Computer 70 of the incoming call and the Host responds bydirecting the incoming data to a Mass Storage Unit 67 where it is storedin a file 68.

During this storage process, the Host directs two other activities. Itcreates a call status record file 69 (FIG. 3) in mass storage, recordingthe time and date of the origination, the telephone number of thecalling machine, the telephone number of the destination machine, anysecurity or other special services requested, various housekeepinginformation, and it assigns the Message Code number which locates notonly the status file but also the fax data file associated with it. TheHost also passes the destination machine's telephone number to theOutbound Control unit 74 which proceeds to connect the originating SAFF8 with the nearest available SAFF 18 to the destination through along-distance interface 75 over long-distance circuits 79 (14 in FIG.1). In the process of establishing this connection, the Outbound Controlunit employs an algorithm which examines the number and kind ofavailable trunk resources and chooses the most efficient combination ofthese lines for the task required.

Answer Function

The originating SAFF 8 then proceeds to transmit the originator anddestination telephone numbers, the stored fax image, the Message Code,and other housekeeping data to the destination SAFF 18. These data aresent by the most expedient mechanism offered by the long-distanceservice. For example, if this service employs digital communications,the fax data may well be transmitted at a significantly higher rate thanit was originally received into the system.

The fax data is received by the Long-distance Interface 95 (FIG. 4) inthe Answer Function 19 of the destination SAFF. This unit signals theAnswer Host Computer 85 of the incoming data. The Host then routes thesedata to its Mass Storage facility 87. (It should be noted for laterreference that the originator SAFF and the destination SAFF now bothhave a copy of these data.) The Host notes whether other messages arepending for the destination machine and either opens a Delivery Queuefile 88, or appends the new message to the existing Queue File.

The Host also records the arrival time and other pertinent informationabout the fax message in a Call Status file 90 in Mass Storage unit 87,and sends a status update back to the originating SAFF 8 by way of theStatus and Control Interface 84, and the System Status and Control Unit11 via Long-distance Trunks 15.

It then signals the Local Interface 83 to dial the destination machine's(81 in FIG. 4) telephone number on ordinary outgoing local lines 24, 82.If the destination fax's line is available, the destination SAFF nowbecomes the proxy for the originating fax machine and engages thedestination machine in the necessary preliminary digital dialogue.

If this is successful, the document image, including the source anddestination identification information, the Message Code, and the entryand delivery times, is played back from storage and delivered to thedestination. A “Delivery Record” is then created by the Answer Host 85which indicates the date and time of delivery, and any other pertinentdata. The Delivery Record is sent back to the originating SAFF 8, againby way of the Status and Control Interface 84, and the System Status andControl Unit 11, via Long-distance Trunks 15. The originator SAFF 8 thenappends this information to the Acceptance Record to form a complete“Transaction File”. The originating SAFF 8 then sends this file, as adelivery receipt or report, back to the originating machine 1, 60, as afax document.

If the destination machine's line is busy, or the contact fails for someother reason, the destination SAFF's Host Computer 85 will enter asequence whereby it will attempt to contact the destination machine andtransmit the document on a predetermined schedule for a specific periodof time or number of tries. As this sequence is entered, a “RetryRecord” is generated documenting the situation and the system's responseto it. This record contains the reason that the delivery was delayed andit indicates which protocol the system will use to attempt to deliverthe message. This is transmitted back to the originating SAFF 8, asdescribed above, and appended to the previously described AcceptanceRecord to form a Transaction File which is then sent as a fax messageback to the originator. The assigned Message Code is a part of everytransaction report and may be used at any time to trace the status ofundelivered documents, as will be described shortly.

If the retry effort is ultimately successful, a Delivery Record isappended to the Transaction File which is sent back to the originatingmachine. If the effort fails after reaching the predetermined limit,this is also recorded, appended, and sent back to the originator. Inthis case, the originator is given the option of dialing back into thesystem within a certain length of time (typically several hours) andinstructing the destination SAFF as to how to dispose of the document(eg. repeat retry sequence, forward to a different telephone number, ordelete the message).

This process is handled by using an ordinary touchtone phone to dial amultipurpose (perhaps, toll free) fax system “Service Number”; whichwill be referred to here and in later sections. This might be a uniquenumber for every SAFF, or it might be a standardized number common tomany localities, except perhaps for area code, such as is 555-1212 forcalling “Information”. This Service Number is answered by the GeneralService Control units (10 in FIG. 1, 50 in FIG. 2) of the SAFF to whichthe call is directed. This unit contains an automated voice responsesystem that presents a menu of the available services and prompts theuser to select the desired choices by pressing particular numbers on thetouchtone keypad. In an advanced embodiment, a computer-based voicerecognition system replaces the keypad and accepts verbal commands in aconversational way.

The General Service Control unit 50 can communicate with its own SystemStatus and Control unit 11, and through that unit, any other such unit11, 20 via Long-distance Trunks 15. Through these connections, bothinquiries relating to messages in the system and instructions as totheir disposition may be addressed to the entire SAFF system.

Having selected the “failed-connection message disposition” choice, theuser is prompted to key in the Message Code. The system verbally repeatsthe code and the delivery discrepancy for verification, and thenpresents a menu of disposition options for the user to select with thekeypad.

If the user does not take advantage of this “what to do now” opportunitywithin the time limit, the message is retransmitted back to theoriginator with a report. It is then erased from both the originator anddestination SAFF files after a suitable delay (typically six hours). Ifthe originator wishes to resend the message during this “grace” period,it may be recovered and resent to the original destination or forwardedto another destination(s), as will be described later.

In each of the various cases where the SAFFs automatically direct faxmessage status reports (such as, the Acceptance, Delivery, or Retryrecords above), the system can be programmed to accumulate records fromall calls over a period of time (eg. an hour) at the originator SAFF anddeliver them as a single fax document at the end of the period or uponrequest by the originator. This has the advantage of reducing the numberof report calls and the subsequent burden on the originating faxmachine. The originator SAFF will enter a retry sequence if it finds theoriginator's line busy or the machine unavailable when it attempts todeliver reports. This is a persistent sequence which it will continuetrying for direct contact at intervals of an hour or so for aconsiderable length of time (eg. 72 hours). It also places a copy of thereport in the originator's Mail Box (described below) so that theoriginator may recover it in between SAFF delivery attempts.

It should also be noted that the originator has the option of dialingthe Service Number at any time and inquiring about the status of a givenmessage. Here again, the voice response system prompts, presents menus,and uses the Message Code to locate and report on the current locationand condition of the message. A written record can be directed to theoriginating or destination fax machine, if desired.

Another feature of the General Service function (and the Mail Boxfunction described later) is the ability to send an immediate reply to areceived fax message. There are many instances where one might wish toprovide a personal acknowledgement of receipt and some indication of thefuture course of action. A collection of such responses is available andmay be selected from a menu using the General Service or Mail Boxsystems. Examples might be: “I received your fax number (Message Code)at (date, time)”; “I am unable to respond at this time”; “I will respondin the next 24 (48, 72) hours”; “I completely agree, proceed asdescribed”, “Take no action until you hear from me”, and so forth.

In a typical transaction, the system asks the user for the SAFF-assignedMessage Code and then presents a menu of these “canned” responses. Itwill also permit the concatenation of several such responses to form amore complex message. Once the user has made the appropriate selections,the system will replay an automated voice version of the message andpermit editing as required. When the user is satisfied, the reply isthen transmitted either as a fax message or as an automated voicemessage to a designated telephone number. That number may represent anactive fax or voice number, or it might represent a fax or voice mailbox.

When a voice reply is selected, the user can select the sex of theautomated voice, or the user can actually employ a personalized menu ofcustom responses tailored by the user to his or her own requirements andprepared in the user's own voice.

Still another feature of the General Service function is the ability toprovide a fax-to-voice message conversion service. This service allowsthe SAFF system to receive an inbound fax message and then electronicalycreate a voice mail message directed to the intended recipient voicemail box as instructed by the message sender or the intended recipient.The fax message may be stored in a subscriber's mail box in the systemwhich will be fully discussed later. In order to provide this service,the SAFF is equipped with suitable software and voice print databasethat will permit the system to electronically interpret the facsimilemessage from printed documents to verbal text. The voice mail messagetransferred to the instructed voice mailbox may be the whole text of thefacsimile message or only a voice message which will verbally identifythe originator of the facsimile message, the reading time and the numberof papers. The intended recipient can then commence the electronictranslation by touch-tone signal and can control the operation in fastforward or reverse through the document by touch-tone command.

Another feature of the system is that the act of accepting and storingan incoming message at the originator SAFF, and the act of dialing andforwarding that message to the destination by the destination SAFF, canoverlap in time. That is, if the originator SAFF has lines available,once the initial connection dialogue between the originator and the SAFFis complete, the SAFF may immediately make its first attempt to contactthe destination SAFF and, thus, the destination machine, while it isbeginning to spool the document.

If this immediate contact is successful, then the message is passed fromthe originator SAFF 8 to the destination SAFF 18 to the destinationmachine 28 directly from the Originate Host Computer's memory 70 whilethe two SAFFs are still in the process of spooling the document to disk.This is facilitated by a “write-through pipeline” whereby the OriginateHost 70 passes the incoming fax data through directly to the OutboundControl unit 74 at the same time it is being written to mass storage. Itis held in a temporary memory buffer in the Outbound unit until it isclear whether or not an immediate connection to the destination machineis possible. At that point the temporary buffer fax data is either sentand then deleted, or merely deleted. The net effect is that the spoolingprocess only adds a few seconds delay in the message delivery over thetraditional direct machine-to-machine contact when the destinationmachine is readily available.

On the other hand, if lines are limited, the originating SAFF can chooseto delay until suitable lines are available. This has the advantage ofimproving communications resource management and enhancing theefficiency of the telephone system's line usage over the direct contactscheme.

The foregoing describes the basic fax SAFF message handling system andfrom this discussion several advantages should be apparent. Theoriginating machine always functions as if it makes contact and deliversdocuments on the first try, thus immediately freeing the machine and theattendant personnel for sending or receiving other transmissions.Likewise, the telephone system only handles one call across its localand long-distance lines from the originating machine to the destinationSAFF, since the state of the destination machine has no impact on thecall. This significantly improves the efficiency of line usage whenmessages are addressed to busy fax terminals.

Although some additional calls are needed to deliver the variousreports, these require very little long-distance time, as they aretransmitted over the circuits as highly compressed coded messages. It isthe nearby originating SAFF that translates them into “plain language”for fax delivery as a local message. As pointed out, additional savingsin these local messages can be gained by compiling multiple reports anddelivering them in bulk as a single call. It should be noted that thedelivery of reports to an originator is a cooperative process betweenthe Originate Function and the Answer Function of the originate SAFF.The Originate Function 9 actually generates these reports and passesthem through the Local Call Loop-back 13 (76 in FIG. 3) to the AnswerFunction 12 for delivery as an ordinary fax message.

In addition to these basic features, the design of the system alsoprovides for a number of additional services and advantages which aredescribed below.

Message Queuing

As pointed out, all fax messages directed to a particular telephonenumber are spooled by the Answer Function of the destination SAFF, asdetailed in FIG. 4. The Host Computer 85 controlling this functionmonitors the incoming messages and links all undelivered messages for agiven telephone number into a message Delivery Queue file 88. Thecomputer also compiles a constantly updated, ordered catalog of the filenames of the messages waiting for each fax machine.

Consequently, when messages arrive at a rate faster than they can bedelivered, for whatever reason, they are held in this queue fordelivery. As soon as the destination SAFF establishes contact with thedestination machine, it begins sending the entire queue of messages in asingle, essentially uninterrupted transmission. Messages that arrivewhile the transmission is in progress are appended to the end of thequeue.

This scheme eliminates the “trial and error” dial and redial attemptsthat result from a number of independent incoming calls competing in anuncoordinated way for the single destination line. It can significantlyenhance the efficiency of the destination fax machine and thelong-distance and local telephone circuits connected to a busy machine.

When the queue exceeds a certain limiting size, the destination SAFFwill periodically insert and send a “Queue Report” (as a fax document)to the destination machine showing a list of the waiting messages. Thislist shows the originating machine identification, the time entered intothe originator SAFF, the number of pages in the document, and theapproximate time that the message will be delivered based on itsposition in the queue.

The user can advance a particular message to the head of the queue bycalling the fax Service Number and supplying the desired message number,by using the voice response menus. The General Service unit 50 directsthese instruction to the System Status and Control Unit 11, which inturn directs them to the Answer Function Host 85 through its Status andControl Interface 84.

Alternately, the originator can designate a priority level to a givenfax message at the time it is dialed in (eg. by using a different accesscode). In this case, the destination SAFF will insert higher prioritymessages ahead of lower priority messages in the queue as they arereceived. The originator would normally pay a premium price for thisservice.

Another originator option is the time of delivery. If desired, theoriginator can specify the time of day which the message should bedelivered. In this case the message is forwarded to the destination SAFFdirectly, but is not entered into the queue until the specified time.This can be used in combination with an assigned high priority to insertthe message at the head of the queue at the appointed time.

When messages are finally delivered to the destination machine they arenot immediately erased from the spool file 88 at the destination SAFF.Rather, they are maintained in a “Delivered Message” directory 90 for aperiod of time (typically six hours). A feature offered by this actionis the opportunity for the subscribing recipient of a message to makeadditional copies, redirect, or forward copies of selected messages toother destinations. This is accomplished by calling the Service Numberand selecting the appropriate choices from the voice response menus.

Security and Mail Boxes

It is not uncommon for documents of a sensitive nature to be sent byfacsimile from place to place. This is often a problem, especially in abusy office or where a machine is nominally unattended during thetransmission, in that the originator has no control over who may bestanding by the machine when the document prints out, or who may leafthrough a stack of faxes piled up in a hopper right after lunch.

This is a problem which others have attempted to deal with in a varietyof ways. For example, Bond, U.S. Pat. No. 3,594,495 and 3,641,432,discloses a “radio facsimile postal system” which features the directdelivery of documents to specific addressees by facsimile viacommunications satellites. In this system, intended as a replacement foror supplement to the ordinary “paper” postal system, fax messages weredirected from special public fax terminals operated by the post officeto a central satellite earth-station. Here the messages were sortedaccording to their geographical destination for concentration anduplinking to a satellite servicing that area. The satellite thenbroadcasts all of the uplinked messages back to Earth.

In principle, anyone with a radio receiver in the satellite's servicearea could access any of the messages, so Bond built in a “privacy code”which operated with the receiver to allow the message to print out onlyon the desired machine. In reality, this privacy code was nothing morethan an addressing signal which enables the selected fax receivingsystem. Thus, Bond's system is merely a restricted version of theservices presently provided to fax users by the telephone networks. Hisprivacy code function is the same as a telephone number: it selectswhich of a plurality of fax machines will actually receive the message.Unfortunately, his approach leads to exactly the security dilemma facingtelephone fax users.

Chapman, U.S. Pat. No. 4,106,060, has approached the problem in asomewhat different way. He too discloses a facsimile-based mail system.However, in his system, the messages are directed by whatever means to a“paper” post office near the addressee, rather than the addressee's homeor place of business. This post office then makes a paper copy of thefax message, places it in an envelope, and delivers it to the addresseeas ordinary mail. This is a reasonably effective solution to thesecurity problem, but it can only be relied upon to provide “next day”delivery, and there are a number of other, competing alternatives fordocument delivery service on that time scale.

In the present invention, the security problem is addressed by a controlvariation of the destination SAFF queuing system. Messages which theoriginator wishes to designate as secure are temporarily directed to aauxiliary storage file 54, 89 in the Answer Function of the destinationSAFF called a “Mail Box”. Instead of being delivered to the destinationmachine, a report is sent to that machine indicating that a securemessage is waiting for a particular addressee. Optionally, a voicemessage may be directed to a designated telephone number, such as avoice mail box, by the General Service Control 50.

This feature works in the following way. Each individual SAFF isassigned its own unique telephone exchange code or codes (typicallyindicated by the first three digits of a seven digit local number).Thus, the SAFF appears to the world as if it were a distinct telephoneexchange(s), separate from all other exchanges in that area code region.All subscriber's to a given SAFF are assigned their fax telephonenumbers with that exchange prefix. Subscribing individuals wishing MailBoxes (typically associated with a “default” fax machine) are issued“fictitious” telephone numbers which actually terminate in fax MailBoxes, rather than in an actual telephone line.

Mail Box numbers are published so that correspondents may use them. Inaddition, each individual is also given a secret security code or PINnumber which will access his or her box. The host computer managing theSAFF maintains a list that relates each fictitious number with theindividual's name, the security code, and the real telephone number ofthe default destination machine. This default machine is the one towhich messages and reports will normally be sent, when appropriate. Inaddition to a default fax machine, the user may also define a defaultvoice telephone number which may be either a telephone answered by ahuman or a computer-managed voice mail box, as is known in the art. Whensuch a voice telephone is also defined, a voice version of the varioussystem messages and reports will also be sent to this number.

An originator wishing to send a secure message merely dials the(fictitious) Mail Box telephone number at the time the document is sent.The system directs the message to the Mail Box file 89 in thedestination SAFF associated with that number, and the Answer Host 85sends a “Message Waiting” report to the default destination fax machinethrough the Local Interface 83. If a default voice telephone number hasalso been defined in this report, this report is also sent to thatnumber. The user has the option of programming or instructing thesystem, through the General Service Control 50, to have either or boththe default fax and the default voice reports forwarded to anothernumber. For example, the person who is traveling could program orrequire fax or voice Message Waiting announcements to be directed to ahotel fax or telephone number. When voice announcements are made, thesystem will give the (human) recipient of the call the option ofpressing a touchtone key to repeat the announcement as often asnecessary to transcribe the message. If more than one message is in theMail Box queue, then this report lists them all.

In order to get the fax document actually sent to the destination, thesecurity code must be sent back to the destination SAFF. Typically, thiswould be done by the addressee dialing his or her own Mail Box number.Since this call originates from a “normal” telephone 34 over OrdinaryLocal Lines 40, rather than the fax's SAFF Directed Lines 38, the callis directed to the Off-net Incoming Screener 48 in the (destination)SAFF which functions in conjunction with a mailbox service control 49.This unit recognizes that the call is not a fax transmission and thustreats it as a voice service request. A voice response system thenprompts the caller to key in the security code. When the correct code issupplied, the SAFF system announces the number of messages waiting and,if desired, the message codes of each. Mail Box contents are maintainedin a queue 89 just as are “regular” spool files. Thus, the user is alsogiven the opportunity to reorder the messages within a Mail Box Deliveryqueue, through the System Status and Control units 11, 20 in the sameway as other messages.

The system finally permits the addressee to make a selection of messagesfor immediate release, and provides an opportunity to “redirect” them toa fax machine 3 other than the default machine over ordinary local lines39. The SAFF then releases the selected documents and moves them to thehead of the appropriate destination Delivery Queue 88 for immediatedelivery. As described earlier, the recipient of the various messagesmay then choose to provide automated fax or voice replies to selectedmessages.

When messages are accepted into the SAFF system and arrive at a mailbox, The Answer Function of the destination SAFF issues a “PostingReport” which is directed back to the Originator in the manner describedfor other reports. The report is similar to a Delivery Report, exceptthat it indicates that the message has been received by the mail box.When the Mail Box Queue is actually read by the addressee theDestination SAFF sends an actual Delivery Report to the originatorindicating the date and time of delivery and so forth.

Another advantage of the Mail Box system is that it can provide aconvenient way for individuals who are away from their “home” machine tostill have access to their documents. Such individuals may call in totheir Mail Box number to hear from the voice response unit whether theyhave any messages waiting. By use of the redirection feature, messagessent to a fax Mail Box can be accessed by an individual with thesecurity code from any telephone with a fax machine.

For example, a person on a business trip can have all his or her faxdocuments directed to their Mail Box. Upon arriving at a hotel that hasa fax machine, the traveler places a call to the Mail Box number andsupplies the information outlined above, including the telephone numberof the hotel fax machine. The SAFF then calls the hotel machine anddumps the queue of waiting documents.

Another aspect of the Mail Box function is support for paperless faxterminals 33, such as those which provide a volatile display of the faximage on a computer display. Typically, this terminal is shown in FIG. 8which includes a small, modem-equipped personal computer 191 and acomputer display 194. The terminal can also include a keyboard 193 forentering necessary access code or other information.

In this circumstance, the paperless terminal initiates the Mail Boxtransaction operating as a computer terminal (rather than a faxterminal), using a computer terminal emulator program such as those wellknown in the art. The incoming call from an ordinary line 40 isrecognized by the Off-net Incoming Screener 48 as not being a faxtransmission and is passed to the Mail Box Service Control 49. This unitrecognizes the call as a computer, rather than voice call and enables acomputer, rather than voice, response system. The user and the Mail BoxService Control 49 then communicate by way of some computercommunications code such as ASCII.

The system presents the same security code requests as the voice systemand provides the same basic user options including message queuelistings, queue reordering and so forth. Unlike the voice system,however, it is not necessary to redirect the fax messages to anothertelephone. The paperless terminal software recognizes simple codesequences sent by the Mail Box Service Control 49 and can be switchedunder Mail Box Service control from the ASCII computer terminal mode tothe fax terminal mode. Thus, the user may select messages from the queuein the computer mode and then the Mail Box Service system willautomatically switch the terminal to fax mode, send the fax messages,and then return the terminal to computer mode.

In this way, the paperless terminal user can engage in an ongoingdialogue with the Mail Box Service Control, doing queue manipulations,reading faxes, sending automated fax or voice responses and so forth.When a fax message is read by a paperless terminal on a screen, the usermay elect to have the message left in the queue for later disposal andto have a cover page added to indicate the date, time and terminaltelephone number from which the fax was originally read. The user mayalso redirect the message to be printed on an ordinary “hardcopy”device, such as a fax device or a printer. In addition, this mode willalso permit the trans-mission of outgoing fax messages from thepaperless terminal and access to the functions of the General ServiceControl 50, all without the need to exit the system and dial in again.This permits a single incoming call over a line 40 to permit the user toaccess essentially all of the services available from the SAFF.

In another approach, the paperless fax terminal can act as anoriginating machine and a designation machine, in place of ordinaryfacsimile machine. In this case, the paperless fax terminal may be usedin cooperation with a telephone or provided with a sound or flash lightgenerator 192 or 197 as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 for prompting theaddressee to communicate with the SAFF system for receiving a facsimilemessage while the SAFF attempts to transmit a facsimile message. TheSAFF also provides the other services to the paperless fax terminal asprovided to the ordinary facsimile machine. For example, the SAFF willtemporarily store the fax message and periodically retry to communicatewith the destination paperless fax terminal if the terminal is busy orotherwise unavailable to receive at this time.

A companion aspect of this system is a Mail Box Reader device 33 asshown in FIG. 9 which is an alternative of the paperless fax terminaldescribed above. This device is a relatively low-cost adapter whichconnects the user's telephone to an available ordinary television set toform a simple paperless fax terminal. The Reader device 33 contains amodem capable of both computer and fax operations, programs for theseoperations, memory 198 to store an incoming document or documents, aprocessor 195 for controlling the device, a keypad 196 for the input ofuser commands, a video display generator 199 and a RF modulator 200suitable for supplying a display signal to the ordinary television set201.

The Mail Box Service Control 49 recognizes the Mail Box Reader as adistinct terminal type and supports abbreviated command sequences fromits more limited keypad. In addition, it supports paging throughsections of a document so that a user can view documents which may betoo large to fit into the Reader's memory in one place.

The Mail Box Reader itself has a “zoom” mode that magnifies the image onthe screen by mapping a smaller segment of the Reader's memory to thescreen. This permits one to overcome the fact that the resolution of thetelevision set may be too limited for a readable display of some of thefiner-detailed features of some fax images. The Reader's keypad 196permits scrolling through messages, both vertically and horizontally inboth the normal and zoom mode. Vertical scrolling is transparentlycoordinated with the Mail Box Service Control's paging functions so thatif one scrolls off the end of the segment of a long document stored inmemory, the Mail Box Service Control will automatically supply the nextsegment.

Broadcasting

The queuing, Mail Boxes, and security codes are all derivative benefitsof the spooling of messages at the destination SAFF. There is acounterpart advantage to the originator SAFF's spooling as well. Sincethe originator SAFF maintains a copy of each message, that copy can beused to broadcast messages to multiple destinations.

This can be initiated in a number of ways. For example, the user candial in a code prefix indicating that a list of destination numbers isto follow. The numbers are then entered and finally another code isentered to signal “end of list”. The Originate Host 70 recognizes theseinputs and attaches them to the message which follows. As analternative, the user can store different numbered broadcast telephonelists in the Originate SAFF mass storage files 69 (entered much asdescribed above) and invoke them simply by dialing a two or three digit“short-cut” code. In either case, from there the fax transmission to theoriginator SAFF proceeds normally.

Upon reception of the list and the document, the originator SAFFproceeds to open as many local loop-back or long-distance lines as itcan to deliver the broadcast message to the various destinations,essentially simultaneously. Although the originator is billed for makinga number of different calls, in fact the originating machine is onlytied up for the time required to make one call. Furthermore, the fullpower of the delivery system is asserted for each destination machine,including reporting, redials, queuing, and so forth.

A feature related to broadcasting is the redirection of messages by theoriginator. Since fax messages are spooled at the originator SAFF andheld for a period of time even after delivery (typically six hours), theoriginator can dial the Service Number any time during this period anddirect a copy of the spooled message to be sent to other destinationmachines.

Communications with Non-Subscribers

Thus far, the discussion has presumed that both the originator andanswerer were subscribers to the SAFF system. It is quite reasonable toassume that subscribers will wish to send or receive fax messages withnon-subscribers, as well. While the services provided by the SAFF aremore limited in such cases, nevertheless, the system both anticipatesand enhances communications with non-subscribers for the benefit of thesubscribers.

When a subscriber originates a call to a non-subscriber the deliveryprocess is almost identical to subscriber-to-subscriber calls. The faxdata is forwarded to the Answer Function of the appropriate destinationSAFF and delivery is pursued, all in the usual way. For the benefit ofthe subscribing originator, the message is stored in the usual way atthe destination SAFF until delivery is completed. If multipleSAFF-processed messages arrive before the delivery is complete, atemporary Delivery Queue will be created and used as required. However,since the non-subscriber will have no account in the system, attempts touse the Service Number to manipulate the queue, forward messages, makemultiple copies, and use the other special services available to asubscribing answerer, will be unsuccessful.

Calls originated by a non-subscriber directed to a sub-scribing answerermove by a somewhat different mechanism. As noted, each SAFF appears tothe world as a distinct telephone exchange and all subscriber's to agiven SAFF are assigned their fax telephone numbers with that exchangeprefix. Consequently, all calls directed to a SAFF subscriber eventuallyend up at the subscriber's SAFF, whether they originated from within theSAFF system network or not. Messages originating “off-network” canarrive by any route. For example, they may be truly local calls, or theymay be long-distance calls which arrive over any available long-distancenetwork.

In any case, messages originating from a non-subscriber 33 are deliveredto the answering fax machine's SAFF by the local lines 39 provided bythe local telephone company. They are answered by the SAFF's Off-netIncoming Screener 48, which, upon noting that they are faxtransmissions, directs the calls to the Originate Function 9 of thatSAFF. From that point, the call is treated as if it were a local faxcall and it is passed over to the Answer Function 12 via the Local CallLoop-back 13 for delivery to the subscriber.

In this situation, an Acceptance Record will be returned to theoriginating machine, but no further originator services are provided. Onthe other hand, the answering subscriber has the full range of AnswerFunction available.

Charges and Detailed Billing

Normally, the Originate Function of the originator SAFF has ultimateresponsibility for the management of outgoing messages. It initiates allconnections to the Answer Functions of the various SAFFs with which itmust communicate. It is the node to which all reports concerning messagestatus and disposition must flow. It interrogates Answer SAFFs whenextraordinary updates are required. Consequently, the Originate Functionis also the focus of charging data.

The telephone company presumably charges for all of the various servicesprovided by this system. The method, algorithm, and rates are determinedby actual costs and applicable regulations. Typically, the user would bebilled for telephone connect time, toll charges, extraordinary services,such as those provided by calling the Service Number, the amount of massstorage space consumed as a function of time, and so forth.

One of the user services for which a special charge might be made is asubscriber's customer specific billing system. In this option the usercan “flag” each fax trans-mission with a keyed-in prefix which containsa user customer, client, or project number. This number is stored as akey field in the Transaction File for that call. Thus, when thetelephone bill is prepared, the billing computer can sort thesubscriber's bill on this field and present the user with a list of allfax messages, total usage time, number of pages, and related charges,all grouped by the subscriber's own customers, clients, or projects.Furthermore, it can accept the subscriber's particular algorithm forbilling calls to customers or clients and generate a column showing whatthe subscriber will bill for the service (as a separate matter from whatthe SAFF system and the telephone company have billed the subscriber).This can be of great assistance in attributing costs and billingcustomers for services rendered.

Software Control

In the preferred embodiment, each of the principal units of the SAFFsuch as described in FIGS. 2, 3, and 4 is controlled by its own computerprocessing unit or units. These units are interrupt-driven computerswhich are connected together by the System Status and Control unit 11.This unit is an electronic switch yard for control communicationsbetween the Originate, Answer, and other units within a given SAFF, aswell as the other SAFFs in the system through the control long-distancetrunks 15. While there are many tasks which the various controlprocessors must perform to handle fax operations, the primary ones areintercepting incoming calls, either for fax forwarding or servicerequests, and delivering the fax messages to their destinations. Thegeneral software organization of these principal activities is shown inFIGS. 5, 6, and 7. It should be noted that these figures are simplifiedand intended to be generally descriptive. For example, some proceduresillustrated here as sequential (for the sake of simplicity) can actuallybe performed concurrently. Likewise, not every function of the system isrepresented in detail. Generally speaking, similar results also can beobtained with a number of other obvious arrangements of the functionalblocks.

Broadly speaking, fax messages addressed to the Originate Function of aSAFF arise either through the special SAFF Directed Local Lines 4 (FIGS.2 and 3) as a result of direct connection or dialing a special accesscode, or they arise from Ordinary Local Lines (off-net lines) 39, 40,63. Those which arrive via off-net lines are processed first by theOff-net Screener 48, which may direct them to either the OriginateFunction 9 or to Mail Box Service 49. FIG. 5, therefore combines allthree of these related functions.

At the outset, one of the two incoming call interfaces 64 and 65 signalsthe Host Computer 70 that it is beginning to process a call at 100 inFIG. 5 a. These units have their own buffer capability and can toleratesome delay before the Host responds. Ultimately the Host must decidewhether it is responding to an on-net or off-net call 101. If it is anoff-net call there are two possibilities (excluding wrong numbers) 102:it may either be a fax call, in which case it is from a non-subscriberto a subscriber, or it is a mail box service call. If it is a fax callthen the billing for services must be directed to the subscribingdestination addressee 112. From that point it is handled like an on-netcall as will be described shortly.

If it is not a fax call, then it is presumed to be a mail box servicecall 103, and the system then determines whether it is a computer orvoice-based request. The caller is presented with a voice response menuor computer menu 104 for such service, as appropriate. The user respondsto these prompts with a touchtone keypad, verbally, or with computerkeystrokes 105 and a decision ladder, shown succinctly as 107 selectsthe desired implementation routine 108, 109, 110 (for brevity only threetypical choices are shown, and this element is actually a loop whichwill permit multiple commands). The chosen routine passes parameters toa command parser 121 (FIG. 5 b) which prepares a command statement whichis then sent 122 to the System Status and Control unit 11, through theinterface 72. This command will be passed to the Answer Host 85 throughits interface 84 for actual action on the Mail Box Queue 89. If theservice requires a response to the caller the transmission path isreversed. When the operation is completed 123 the call is terminated.

If on the other hand, the original call is found at 101 to be an on-netcall, billing is generally directed at the originator 113 and the Host70 begins the opening digital dialogue 114 with the calling machine,acting in place of the destination machine. This dialogue includesgathering and storing the fax identifications, originating anddestination telephone numbers and so forth 116. The Host opens aTransaction File and links it to a data file 117 for the expected data,and then stores all of the call and file information 118 keyed to theMessage Code. The destination telephone number and other information arepassed almost immediately 119 to the Outbound Controller 74, which thenopens a temporary buffer to hold the fax message in case immediatecontact can be established, and it attempts to establish that contactthrough the destination SAFF.

In pursuing this contact, the Outbound Controller 74 examines the statusof available trunks. If trunks are available, it will immediatelyattempt to connect with the destination SAFF, otherwise it will deferthe call until a trunk is available. In the event of a broadcastmessage, the Outbound Controller will select the number of trunks to usesimultaneously based on the percentage of the trunks already in use, inorder to avoid tying up all of the SAFF's outgoing capacity with asingle message task. Other considerations can affect these usage choicesdepending on the details of the setting of the system.

The Host then enters a loop which gets the incoming fax data 125 (FIG. 5b) from the On-net 64 or Off-net 65 Interface's buffer and stores eachbyte in the fax data file 126 while sending another copy 127 to theOutbound controller 74 until the incoming data is complete 128. The Hostthen checks 129 with the Outbound controller to see if it was successfulin making immediate connection with the destination machine. If it wassuccessful and a satisfactory transfer occurred, then a Delivery Reportis sent back 132 to the originating machine before it leaves the line.Otherwise, an Acceptance Report is sent 131, and in either case theoutcome is reported 133 to the Transaction File and the call isterminated 134.

A complementary set of activities occurs in the Answer Function of thedestination SAFF as described in FIGS. 6 a and b. Here an incoming callis detected 136 by the Inbound Control 92 (FIG. 4). The Answer HostComputer 85 then opens a new fax data and Transaction file for themessage if there is no current queue for that destination machine, or itprepares to append the data to an existing queue 137. The various calland file parameters are linked and stored 138 and the call parametersare passed through 139 to the Local Interface 83, which then decides 141whether the call is addressed to a “real” fax number, or a fictitiousnumber terminating in a mail box. If the number is real the LocalInterface attempts to contact the destination machine for immediatedelivery.

The Host then enters a loop where it gets the incoming data 147, storesit 148 in the fax Delivery Queue, and passes it through 149 to the LocalInterface buffer. When the Host determines that the fax transfer iscomplete 150, it then checks 152 (FIG. 6 b) to see if the LocalInterface has been able to make immediate delivery. If it has, the Hostinitiates the transmission of the Delivery Report 167 back through itsStatus and Control Interface 84 to the System Control and Status unit11, which in turn updates the Transaction File and sends it back to theoriginator SAFF over Trunk 15. It is this communication which ultimatelyresults in the immediate Delivery Report described previously. Thetransaction in then terminated 169.

If immediate connect is not established a Retry Report is sent 153 backthrough the System Status and Control unit and the Retry sequencebegins. The Retry criteria can be varied 154, both in place and with theSAFF setting. For example, if the SAFF is integrated into a localexchange, the SAFF can actually monitor the desired line and simply waitfor it to become available. In other settings it will be necessary forthe SAFF to actually redial at prescribed intervals. In any caseattempts to connect are made 155 and if they are not successful 156 acounter or timer is checked 159 to see if the retry limit has beenexceeded. If not, the process is repeated and if so, a Failed DeliveryReport 160 is sent back through the system and the effort terminated170.

If the retry effort is successful, the Delivery Queue is retrieved 158and message by message 162 the queue is dumped, with a pause 163 aftereach message to confirm receipt, send a Delivery Report 164 and to checkfor end of queue 165. If a message fails during the queue dump, theretry sequence at 154 is resumed at the failure point and the processrepeated to a conclusion. When the last message has been receivedsatisfactorily, the transaction is terminated 168.

If it is determined at 141 (FIG. 6 a) that this is a mail box call, aloop is entered which gets the fax data 142 and stores it 143 in theappropriate Mail Box Queue. When the end of message is detected 144, aPosting Report 145 is sent back through the system and a Message WaitingReport 146 is sent forward through the system to the default destinationmachine.

General Service calls always arrive on Ordinary Local Lines 5. Upondetection and answering 172, the voice response menu is presented 173 tothe user. As with the Mail Box Service, the user keys in responses orgives them orally 174 and a decision ladder 175 identifies the desiredservice routine such as 177, 178, or 179. Here again only a few of thepossible choices have been shown for sake of illustration and loopingfor multiple service requests is provided. The selected service routinegenerates command parameters which are parsed 181 as system commands andsent 182 to the System Status and Control unit 11 for execution. Uponcompletion of all requests the call is terminated 183.

What has been described are the presently preferred embodiments of asystem and method for providing a comprehensive interactive facsimilemessage management system embedded in a switched telephone network. Itshould be apparent that many modifications to the system and the methodare possible without departing from the true spirit and scope of theinvention.

1. A method for delivering a facsimile to an electronic mailbox, themethod comprising: a) interfacing with a plurality of communicationchannels for receiving facsimile messages, wherein each communicationchannel is capable of supporting a communication session from anoriginating facsimile machine via a switched telephone network; b)associating a telephone number from a plurality of telephone numbers ona switched telephone network with an intended facsimile recipient; c)receiving a telephone call via a selected communication channel from theplurality of communication channels; d) participating in a communicationsession with an originating facsimile machine using a facsimile protocolvia the selected communication channel, wherein the participating stepcomprises receiving an inbound fax message for the intended facsimilerecipient; and e) directing the inbound fax message to a mailbox definedin a computer storage and associated with the intended facsimilerecipient.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the received telephone callresults from the entry of the associated telephone number at theoriginating facsimile machine and from the switching of the telephonecall to the selected communication channel by the switched telephonenetwork.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the directing step comprisesthe step of storing the inbound fax message to the mailbox.
 4. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the directing step comprises the step offorwarding the inbound fax message to the mailbox.
 5. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the directing step comprises the step of determiningthe intended recipient based upon the associated telephone number. 6.One or more computer readable media storing instructions that uponexecution by a computer cause the computer to perform the method ofclaim
 5. 7. A system for delivering a facsimile to an electronicmailbox, the system comprising: a) an interface to a switched telephonenetwork, the interface communicating with a plurality of communicationchannels for receiving facsimile messages, wherein each communicationchannel is capable of supporting a communication session from anoriginating facsimile machine via the switched telephone network; b) adata store capable of storing facsimile message information; c) aprocessor comprising one or more processing elements, in communicationwith the interface and the data store, wherein the processor isprogrammed or configured to: i) associate a telephone number from aplurality of telephone numbers on a switched telephone network with anintended facsimile recipient; ii) store the association of the telephonenumber with the intended facsimile recipient in the data store; iii)receive a telephone call via a selected communication channel from theplurality of communication channels; iv) participate in a communicationsession with an originating facsimile machine using a facsimile protocolvia the selected communication channel, wherein the participation in thecommunication session comprises receiving an inbound fax message for theintended facsimile recipient; and v) direct the inbound fax message to amailbox defined in a computer storage and associated with the intendedfacsimile recipient.
 8. A system for delivering a facsimile to anelectronic mailbox, the system comprising: a) interfacing means forinterfacing with a plurality of communication channels for receivingfacsimile messages, wherein each communication channel is capable ofsupporting a communication session from an originating facsimile machinevia a switched telephone network; b) storing means for storing facsimilemessage information; c) processing means: i) for associating a telephonenumber from a plurality of telephone numbers on a switched telephonenetwork with an intended facsimile recipient; ii) for storing theassociation of the telephone number with the intended facsimilerecipient in the storing means; iii) for receiving a telephone call viaa selected communication channel from the plurality of communicationchannels; iv) for participating in a communication session with anoriginating facsimile machine using a facsimile protocol via theselected communication channel, wherein the participation in thecommunication session comprises receiving an inbound fax message for theintended facsimile recipient; and v) for directing the inbound faxmessage to a mailbox defined in a computer storage and associated withthe intended facsimile recipient.
 9. The system of claim 8, wherein themailbox is defined in the storing means.
 10. The system of claim 8,wherein the processing means performs the directing by forwarding theinbound fax message to the mailbox.